IT doESN’t aDD up

Written By: - Date published: 7:49 am, August 10th, 2020 - 57 comments
Categories: covid-19, Gerry Brownlee, making shit up, national, spin, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

For a few days now Gerry Brownlee has been peddling dog whistle conspiracy theories that the Government is hiding bad news about Covid and we should all be really concerned.

On August 5, 2020 the Spinoff commented on a press release that he had provided in this way:

Gerry Brownlee has issued a press release that reads as though it might at any moment break into all-caps. “The government needs to come clean on what they know about the state of Covid-19 in New Zealand,” said the National deputy leader. “We have had three-months of no community transmission, then inexplicably, Ashley Bloomfield tells the nation today that a second wave was a likely prospect. As well, health minister Chris Hipkins tells the House in Question Time that tomorrow he will tell Kiwis the conditions in which they will be expected to wear masks in the event of the country moving back into level two.”

He added: “It doesn’t add up. Why announce this now when there are few cases? What do these guys know that they are not telling us? New Zealanders have already sacrificed a lot during this pandemic. The least they deserve is more honest, transparent treatment.”

Then according to this Herald report he repeated his claim.

As New Zealand marked 100 days without community transmission of Covid-19, National Party deputy leader Gerry Brownlee says the Government’s warning of an approaching second wave is “very puzzling”.

The Ministry of Health announced the milestone on Sunday, with no further new cases in of the deadly virus reported for the fourth consecutive day.

There remain 23 active cases of coronavirus nationally, all in managed isolation facilities, while the number of New Zealand’s confirmed cases remains at 1219.

Director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield thanked every person who had been tested for Covid-19, saying Sunday marked a “significant milestone”.

“However, as we all know, we can’t afford to be complacent,” he said in a statement.

“We have seen overseas how quickly the virus can re-emerge and spread in places where it was previously under control, and we need to be prepared to quickly stamp out any future cases in New Zealand. Every person in the team of five million has a role to play in this.”

But Brownlee told Newstalk ZB the Government’s warning of an imminent second wave of Covid-19 in New Zealand was “puzzling”.

“People have made a big effort on this and they expect to get all the relative freedom,” he said.

“None of us are complacent about it, I believe, it is something that is going to be with the world from this point on.”

And to top things off he is questioning why the Government’s advice on masks, which has gone from neutral to positive, has changed.  Overseas experience where dim witted politicians have questioned expert medical advice has not ended well.

Getting ready for a potential second wave is not puzzling.  The world is awash with the disease and we will be doing extraordinarily well if we continue to keep it out.  And you just have to see what has happened in Australia and South Korea and Singapore to see that the virus will come back and hurt if it is not eradicated.

We have elected to keep our borders open to returning kiwis and selected others.  The only other option would be to seal the borders shut to everyone.  This is not a policy decision this Government is willing to make, and not one that any Government in the world has taken.

Some of these returnees are infected.  We have had a couple of scares but so far so good.  But it should be remembered that there is a low chance that each infected returning Kiwi may spread the virus.  This is through contamination of quarantine staff, or early or late onset of the disease, or plain bad luck.  Te Punaha Matatini, a team of mathematicians and scientists, have estimated that New Zealand could expect one person over the next 18 months to be released into the community while still infectious.  That may be enough to set off a second wave.

So of course the Government should be preparing for the possibility of a second wave.  Brownlee reaching out to the tinfoil wearing sector of the population in an attempt to score political points is just weird.

57 comments on “IT doESN’t aDD up ”

  1. Incognito 1

    At the end of the day, if the Government had not warned about a possible second wave then Brownlee would have accused it of being complacent, ignorant, or negligible even and not doing enough to prepare NZ and keep us safe. With his ‘puzzling’ comments, he’s seeding doubt, fear, and distrust into this Government, authorities, and experts alike. The sub-liminal message seems to be, as always, that you cannot trust anybody and nobody is good enough except National, of course. Leave it to ‘the better team’. Yeah, right! BTW, I don’t believe for a moment that Brownlee ‘masterminded’ this campaign ‘tactic’ but his natural ignorance makes him the right person to front-foot it.

    • Sacha 1.1

      He's sounding more like Act with the 'freedom' angle. All over the place. Party of desperation.

    • lprent 1.2

      It could just be an honest mistake. Gerry Brownlee after all is well known to have the forethought that results in claims about the 2010 earthquake in Canterbury still being not settled today.

      The most recent bill to clean up that mess being passed on the 31st May last year, as much as anything because the insurance claims having to be reopened. Its most recent status on the admissibility of evidence being the 8th July this year.

      If he got so confused with what was happening on the ground a decade ago that he didn’t have the forethought to anticipate dealing with it fairly and transparently, I can imagine Gerry Brownlee getting confused by having to anticipate and getting prepared for a probable and possibly even likely future event.

      His history tends to indicate that such forethought is not part of his nature.

      /sarc

      After the 9 years of their last government, you’d have to wonder if the National Party has any history of policy issues about anticipation of problems.

      Looking at the way that they have now effectively gutted the tertiary sector with their strong push from 2011 for overseas students being a classic example. The risk levels of disruptions to air travel and border entry were always high even without a pandemic. Now we have universities over extended with plant and staff in way that will force hard sale decisions if a vaccine isn’t immediately forthcoming. If UoA were a business, they’d be shuttering about a third of the buildings.

      • PsyclingLeft.Always 1.2.1

        National have never had Forward Thinking. Let alone Forward Planning. Well, not for NZ's Greater Good anyway…

  2. Peter 2

    Last week Gerry Brownlee had it the Government doing anything like suggesting every home has masks was scaremongering. And today he's trying to make out there's scary stuff being hidden.

    It must be scary for his party if this is the best he and they have.

  3. Ad 3

    OMG they need some new attack lines.

  4. He's a woodwork teacher. He doesn't have the brains for epidemiology.

    • Very insulting for all other woodwork teachers, suggesting they don't have the brains for …. whatever.

      • Jilly Bee 4.1.1

        Thank you Clive Macann – I always react quite badly when I hear that old chestnut. My partner is a retired Woodwork/Technology teacher, who has his City and Guilds (Advanced Trade Cert – NZ equivalent) qualifications earned whilst doing his apprenticeship in the UK in the late 1950s. This study entitled him to a equivalent of a BA salary during his teaching life. I have no idea what Mr Brownlee's work-working qualifications are, nor do I care – apparently he didn't last too long in that profession.

    • Chris 4.2

      Brownlee is incredibly thick. There's just no doubt about that. But it's his nastiness on top of being incredibly thick that takes him out of the species. He certainly ain't the full quid.

      • OnceWasTim 4.2.1

        I'm saving up to buy him a set of Crayola Supertips for Christmas. Any suggestions for Jude? It's probably going to have to be something synthetic, made in China from the $2 shop.

    • peter sim 4.3

      No wood work teacher would break through an airport security door.

      Brownlee is clearly deranged/stupid.

  5. dv 5

    It is really good that the Natz in their 9 years prepared the hospitals for such a pandemic by making sure there were enough ICU beds!!

    Sarc

    • Incognito 5.1

      The current version of the New Zealand Influenza Pandemic Plan is dated August 2017 and updated the previous version of 2010. Guess which party was leading the Government during that period.

  6. I Feel Love 6

    Brownlee says something here about NZrs not getting immunity, herd immunity I assume. https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018758380/gerry-brownlee-questions-timing-of-mask-advice-changes

    • Given that he was talking about Sqirrels running up trees and all, its more likely he was referring to the herd immunity among the obstinancy of buffaloes he lives with.

      • OnceWasTim 6.1.1

        Ekshully, a couple of years ago when I was in the remote whops, I was woken up by the sounds of a buffalo trying to screw (root) a cow. All the rest of the herd (5 or 6 at most), well managed with their shit and other output used in a productive and sustainable way. All had names – except these two. If only I'd realised at the time. Gerry and Jude would have been perfik. You'd need a pair of earmuffs though – the sound wasn't very pretty. And just up the road a kilometre or two was a cow sanctuary where unwanted and abandoned cows were rescued and lived at the pleasure of a long-suffering fella who looked after them on charity (begging for the funds to feed them), in the absence of any state assistance.

        If only I'd known the significance of it all. Spooky! Gerry and Jude!

        • greywarshark 6.1.1.1

          Heard, herd immunity? Baah.

          • OnceWasTim 6.1.1.1.1

            I've got photos of the cow sanctuary if ya want them (little lady). I thought taking pics of the 'act' wasn't really very couth and I was half awake anyway at the time so I don't have the dirty feeeelthy ones – and I was concerned for the welfare of my digital camera. The spectacle could have crippled it and there were only so many pixels avalaable to fit a Gerry into.

            To sumarise though, Gerry groaned and moaned – like a buffalo does, while Jude screeched and squealed like it was something out of this world. More like a pig or a weana – but as if it was some sort of practiced sound.

            But in retrospect, I think Jude would fit into that sanctuary quite well. It was fairly evident at the time though that Gerry was a spent force whose only polite option was probably just to lay down and die gracefully. Alternatively, shuffle himself on down the river and offer himself up as a bit of Gucci leather – but then think of all the chemicals and emulsifiers that would be needed to process that sort of carcass

  7. tc 7

    The way granny etc keep serving this clickbait shit up screams desperation.

    Jez's public credibility is at about used car dealer level let alone what chch thinks of him.

  8. Tricledrown 8

    The more I know nuthink Brownlee says the less support National gets.

  9. Graeme 9

    Once upon a time Gerry was appointed Minister of Maori Affairs. The local daily where I was living at time took to using the alternate spelling of his surname

    Don't think he lasted long in that job

  10. Anne 10

    Brownlee told Newstalk ZB the Government’s warning of an imminent second wave of Covid-19 in New Zealand was “puzzling”.

    Dead giveaway Brownlee was playing a political game with a Pandemic issue.

    All the Govt. did was warn people that despite our success we must not become complacent because Covid 19 is still spreading around the world and we need to remain vigilant. That does not equate to an imminent second wave.

    There will be plenty of people who will start to panic because of his mischievous behaviour and he should be pulled up on it by Hipkins, Ardern and Bloomfield.

    • Tricledrown 10.1

      NZers know Gerry is a bumbling fool this is just more proof.

      That's all National have is scaremongering and creating hysteria.

      Crying Wolf one to many times just proves National are desperate and deranged.

      • tc 10.1.1

        It's the tactic of choice as national's a policy free zone.

        got that NZ, 2 elections in a row with zero policy and proud of it

        • greywarshark 10.1.1.1

          Political tennis. Nats get in with no inflated promises, just to do a good job, more cheaply. They invite the citizens to put forward projects needed, not employ expensive consultants. Citizens travel to various venues for conferences, at their own region's expense, put forward projects which have taken many days to put together and cost. Politicians call in Treasury and discussions are held over many hours. Treasury decides that only 1:100 are viable, and turns all the others away.

          Government agencies are already manipulating the tender process I understand. When a certain level of negatives is reached, firms will find it an unreasonable cost for the business to bear, when certain firms always seem to be priced under others, or can provide some advantage over competitors.

          Nats stand, waiting for the ball, citizens serve and get smashed back. Result – No love. That would be the sort of racket they would like to set up when next back in Parliament.

  11. Rapunzel 11

    What doesn't add up for me is that he is against any idea that NZers need to have better systems in place to cover health issue but the National Party, & I wish the man no ill, are so lenient when it comes to themselves. I wish him no ill but by comparison they're in full pursuit of a more than average MP in Muller in a safe seat being off the scene for six weeks paid and likely to return and be equally as average paid by the tax payer and now in line to complete nine years and receive his hefty MPs superannuation

    • I Feel Love 11.1

      Muller has been there for 9 years???

      • Rapunzel 11.1.1

        No only six but he only has to do another 3 and his MP's pension is not at risk – basing that on an old understanding of it. I'm not surprised if you're surprised it has been even 6 years because he did nothing he's in a safe seat and it's been pointed out that it shows with that being the case with Falloon and Walker. And in regard to to Falloon Collins has has the gall to go out in support of the National candidate in Manukau for abuse with pics etc but in return for Falloon's and others' behaviour in that vein she put the boot into Lee-Galloway and his family

  12. Byd0nz 12

    I think that labour is keeping us aware of the fact the pandemic is still out there, knocking on the door and are perhaps using it to advantage in the campaign, but hang on!, it's a reasonable and good ploy, because what they are not saying directly, is that if the Nats should happen to get in, they would surely open the border a bit wider and increase the danger of the second wave, smart thinking by Labour because grouchy Brownlee and co wont directly accuse Labour of using it, they can only hint that way, but whatever it wont work for them. They're toast already.

    • anker 12.1

      Bloomfield is issuing the warnings of a second wave. He is a non political civil servant….

      Anyone who thinks NZ is all done with Covid now has not been paying attention.

      BTW hubby and I are currently on holiday spending some tourist dollars in our own backyard……its terrific. And those in the position to do so (we know we are lucky), thoroughly recommend you get out there!

      One tourist operator we spoke to was desperately hoping for a bubble with Oz. But he was even more adamant that the worst thing that could happen right now was if we had to go into lockdown again. He was also very appreciative of us local tourists (actually we get thanked everywhere for doing tours etc)….somewhat puzzling though think the guy was likely a National voter (trotting out where's the money coming from lines)

  13. George 13

    Victoria will do for labour what no amount of campaigning can achieve. And undo anything said by National, John Key, Helen Clarke and anyone else currently pushing for NZ to open up the borders any faster than is happening now. It's basically a giant election hoarding offshore…

  14. mpledger 14

    The reason that NZ is in danger now more that at any other time is that the number of daily new cases is still increasing outside our boarders.

    Even in places that were looking like they were getting things under control e.g. Japan, Spain, Australia; they are having second waves that are almost as bad or worse then their first waves.

    The more people coming here with the disease the more likely it is that it will escape isolation/quarantine. On the bright side these probabilities are all really small – its just they're not zero.

  15. mary_a 15

    I have a sneaky feeling National is hoping for a second wave Covid-19 community outbreak, prior to the election, giving Gez and Jude the opportunity to say "there I told you so, the government has failed NZ."

    • Brian Tregaskin 15.1

      I have a sneaky feeling National is hoping for a second wave Covid-19 community outbreak, prior to the election, giving Gez and Jude the opportunity to say "there I told you so, the government has failed NZ."

      The deep throat MOH leaker may in fact be trying to "assist"

      Jacinda please use our Security Services to try and prevent this scene from becoming reality.

  16. Treetop 16

    It comes down to what can be trusted/relied on and what cannot be trusted/relied on when it comes to lowering the draw bridge.

    During the plague was the draw bridge lowered when there was an epidemic?

    So much is unknown scientifically when it comes to Covid-19 and this is why strict isolation is the best defence.

    I am not happy with how an international flight crew is managed due to the exposure of Covid-19.

  17. Ken 17

    Do we really have time to go into all the things that Gerry's confused about?

  18. anker 18

    Brownlee saying this stuff is a disgrace. Again trying to find an angle (lie) to pitch against Labour in an election campaign

  19. sumsuch 19

    Aren't both these parties fucken ridiculous. For us who have seen Muldoon on through. 5 to 10 % of the electorate taking the appropriate notice. Hence the nonsense goes on before our noses. Aggravating. Why evolutionary designoid is superior to the designs of our species.

    A grand laugh is what it amounts to, and the stupendously stupid keep on having children, much like the cockroaches. Yep, we take a round-about way to be as blind as the other species. 10,000 years of agriculture and 270 years (!) of industry and we cogitate up a right to to plenty forever. Life now is brilliant, lets enjoy it, and support the rational and the neediest. 10 years to respond to …

  20. AW! C'mon, be fair.

    Gerry hated being a woodwork teacher. He just wanted to be prime minister, minister, member, whatever.

    He is just another, self entitled politician with expert knowledge on everything, especially airport security doors.

    Frontier security does not matter to him.

    I suspect the so called "tourism industry" will be backing him in destroying border controls.

  21. Austringer 21

    Eh! Gerry, if being in Haiti, after their quake and suggesting your proffering your aid, you would have been pin needled after your attempted aid, and corporate care.

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    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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